A House of Outcasts
by Relim
Summary: A barely willing 'Outcast' Uchiha... A small child in need of care... Oh, and did I happen to mention that this particular Uchiha grew up on the Hellmouth of all places? Yeah, this should be nothing if not interesting.


Disclaimer: I don't own anything involving the respective franchises of either 'Naruto' or 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer'. This is only being done in my spare time for fun nothing more-nothing less.

AN: My latest attempt at a fanfic. I feel I should tell you that while I have put a decent bit of time into this first chapter that this bit of work is just me dipping my toe into the water for this particular cross. Should this experiment go well I'll continue on as I have time to do so. Just FYI... As per usual, please don't expect perfection, because while I do try I know that there are still going to be mistakes here and there.

AN: Also, before anyone bites my head off, the things that might confuse you will be explained in other chapters. That and due to this being a cross over a good deal of the opening scenes for certain series' of events won't entirely match up from time to time. But just to help with any doubts you all might have, every once in a while I'll be dedicating entire chapters as to how this chapter and the events depicted within came to be.

AN: And last but definitely not least I would like to give a quick shout out to ShadowMaster and his work on 'A Distant Relation'. I find no shame in admitting that it was his rather lengthy work that sparked the idea for this particular bit fun.

* * *

As he ran for his life, with yet _another_ ball of chakra based flaming death going off behind him, Xander couldn't help but think,

'You know, this REALLY sucks!' And that just happened to be the statement that seemed to almost define his entire life over the last handful of months, but given the fact that he had the Kyuubi no Kitsune currently riding his ass like such a thing was going out of style as it tried to catch up to the one person the was currently annoying it the most in all the world… Well, such a statement was certainly understandable.

So the question that would inevitably plague almost every mind of every person who was unfortunate enough to see such a ludicrous scene would inevitably have to ask,

'Now how in the world had this happened?'

* * *

He had been a relatively new 'citizen' of Konoha for just under four months and in that time he had come to think that he knew at least a little bit about the man standing next to him. But what had just come out of said man's mouth had blown all that Xander thought he knew about the current Hokage out of the water. Ah crap, this wasn't going to end well.

"Xander, I need you to distract that thing." Minato Namikaze said with his eyes never leaving the now approaching Kyuubi. A Kyuubi that had apparently decided that Konoha was annoying and therefore had to be destroyed.

"Yeah… Wait, what?" Xander managed to sputter out as his commander's word finished sinking in.

"I need _you_ to distract the Kyuubi no Kitsune." Minato said again as he finally brought his eyes to meet those of his younger friend.

"Ok… Why me exactly?" Xander asked even though he was pretty sure what Minato's reasons were.

"Simple, you are the single most infuriating and annoying man that I have ever met." Minato said with a quirk of his lips while those around him practically face faulted at his oh-so-casually given statement. "But seriously, from what you've told me about that Primal Energy in your veins you're probably the only one here that can _really_ distract that beast while I prepare. That and when you do that thing you do you're faster than all get out. So I just need you to keep it running around, away from the village, while I prepare." Minato finished, all amusement having left his voice as he continued to speak. Not that Xander had thought him to be really joking from the get go but still.

While it wasn't a particularly well known fact, the reason behind one of Minato's more popular titles 'Konoha's Yellow Flash' the Flying Thunder God Technique wasn't actually a maneuver that increased his speed. No, it was in fact a technique that allowed its user to outright teleport from one point to another with the help of a certain level of fuinjutsu mastery. Xander on the other hand didn't have that. The younger man wasn't particularly strong and he didn't know that many jutsus (Mostly because he had only been a 'ninja' for a few months instead of the many years that most had been by his age. In fact the only reasons he could use any jutsus at all were because of both his bloodline and his rather 'special' circumstances.) but he was _fast_. He was fast, he was cunning, and (when given a good enough reason) he was completely and utterly ruthless and without mercy.

So if there was anyone who could off actually have a hope of outrunning the Kyuubi itself aside from Minato it would be him. But even then it wasn't guaranteed…

"Alright." Xander said as all hesitancy quickly fled his features despite the tiny voice in the back of his mind that was screaming at him that this was a bad idea. "When I'm in position pull all your people back but keep them in reserve and I'll see what I can do about getting this particular beasty's attention." When Xander looked back over to his older friend he couldn't help the slight twinge of foreboding he got when he saw the other man's face. "Hey," Xander said quietly right before moving off, "I'll see you and Kushina on the other side of this thing… Alright?"

Minato didn't say anything.

* * *

There it was, the Nine Tailed Fox Demon, and it was getting way too close to Konoha after having left who knows how many dead shinobi in its wake for Xander's tastes. So quickly squaring his shoulders he mentally reached deep within himself for the energy that was his chakra and at contact immediately began to feel the ancient pull of the primordial earth energy that it was spiked with as his instincts and physical perceptions flared into a whole new realm of awareness. All five of his senses became far sharper and he couldn't help the almost intoxicating and heady rush that he felt whenever the feelings of pure unadulterated power came over him before his greater and more 'evolved' mind finally clamped back down to try and restrain the power that was now flowing through his being like liquid fire.

As it was though it was like fighting for mental control over the Earth itself… Yeah, this part was never fun. And the resulting rise of Xander's rather unique chakra signature did its job. This was because the Kyuubi no Kitsune wasn't actually a demon (Well, not like any of the ones Xander had ever come across in the years since his introduction into the darker sides of the world anyway.), no, if anything the tailed beasts seemed to represent one aspect of nature or another like some sort of avatars. At least this was Xander's theory as to why even the sealed version of the Kyuubi had reacted to his presence as strongly as it did the first time he'd met Minato Namikaze and his wife Kushina Uzumaki. This was also the reason the two previously mentioned individuals had taken such a large interest in the newly 'retrieved' Uchiha in the first place. So to say that the man that Xander now saw standing on top of the angry bijuu was shocked when said fox turned away from its original target and towards the newcomer would be an understatement. He didn't have the time to try and fix this little upset to his plans though, because that was the moment Minato Namikaze, the Yellow Flash, and Fourth Hokage himself decided to strike back at the mystery man.

Then the chase was on.

* * *

So there he was, running for his life. Xander of course new that he had nowhere near what it took to properly engage let alone win againt the Kyuubi of all things so he just kept running at full speed and hoping that whatever it was that Minato was going to do he would do it soon.

Then it happened.

The fiery monster that had been chasing him with an insane and enraged gleam in its eyes not even a second ago was fading away from existence as it screamed out in denial of what was happening to it. Then after a moment it was gone, leaving only an enormous swath of burning and crushed forest and a field of dead bodies as the only proof that it had ever been there in the first place. And even though the monster that had been at the very precipice of Konoha's destruction was now gone to who knows where Xander couldn't shake the feeling of dread that was creeping up his spine. Something was wrong.

Something was _very_ wrong.

* * *

Xander couldn't help but roll his eyes for the umpteenth time as he continued to watch the village council once again go at each other's throats. This time it was over what to do with the Kyuubi's new container, an infant boy. An infant boy that Xander just _knew_ was the son of two people that had, in a relatively short period of time, become very dear to him. And a couple of these self important bastards were actually demanding the boy's death. Idiots!

The first camp consisted of the old war-hawk Danzo and his supporters who were trying to force them all into turning the boy into a weapon, a weapon that he was most likely hoping to control himself. The second camp was made of the always conservative Hiashi Hyuuga and his own supporters who were just saying that while potentially useful the boy would have to be watched at all times as he grew up to make sure that the Kyuubi was having no outward affect on him. And in the last camp there was of course Xander's ever-loving 'uncle' Fugaku Uchiha who just wanted to kill off what he saw as an outright threat to the village and be done with it.

Finally, having had enough all their pointless posturing and infighting, Xander lost what little patience he had left after all that had happened that night and stepped forward.

"I'll take him!" Xander nearly shouted out so that he could be heard of the dull roar of the council as they griped at one another. Thankfully he didn't have to repeat himself as everyone present froze at his words.

"You?" Fugaku asked incredulously after a moment, while making no effort what-so-ever to hide the amount of disdain and disgust laced within his voice, as he turned to face the younger man. The two of them hadn't gotten along ever since Xander had essentially told him and his family to go and shove their rhetoric, traditions, and egos where the sun doesn't shine. They had after all essentially kidnapped him not even a year after his mother died when he was about seventeen before trying to indoctrinate him into their structure almost against his will. It didn't help that even though he had a family in the Hidden Village of the Leaf he was still completely bent on making it back to the Hellmouth so that he could help his friends. Hell, the _only_ reason he was still there was because Minato had sent a couple of his best operatives to silently watch over said friends, and by extension that infernal portal back in California.

Yeah, the two of them did NOT get along. Over arrogant asshole…

"You're not even one of us and you think that you can handle the care of a Jinchuriki? I knew you were delusional but this is ridiculous!"

"What is it you're saying Alexander?" Hiashi asked far more calmly than his Uchiha counterpart. The Hyuuga clan head had no real care one way or another about the young man currently standing before them but he had enough respect for Alexander to at least hear him out before judging him.

"What I'm saying is this… Who else do you have that can do this?" Xander said as he brought out his opening argument while meeting the eyes of the council with a sweeping motion of his head.

"What do you mean?" Fugaku spat out as he tried to keep his own calm. It wouldn't due for his fellow clan heads to see him so unsettled by a mere boy after all.

So far Danzo and the other two members on the Elder's Council had remained silent as they watched to see what the young man was getting at. They had learned rather quickly that this particular person was more than he had initially appeared to be and had a tendency of surprising those who underestimated him. So for now they would just sit back and see what the newcomer was getting at.

Xander, for his part, merely took in a calming breath as he tried to ignore his arrogant relative and collect his calm so that he wouldn't appear nervous before the people who, if they so chose, could make his life far more difficult than it had to be. They probably weren't going to like what he had to say anyway so why give them more ammunition to shoot his idea down with by become a jittering mess?

"It's simple really, I was born and raised on the Hellmouth and I've repeatedly fought by the side of multiple Slayers. I have more experience than any of you when it comes to what goes 'bump in the night' even if I was considered to be a 'sidekick' at the time and you know it." Xander explained with his arms now crossed over his chest as he continued to meet the gaze of those present. "I also have the ability of calling in help that you all can't should the worst ever happen. Besides, what are you going to do, throw him in an orphanage? Now that would be just plain stupid and deep down you already know that."

"So does this mean that you've decided to stay?" Sarutobi asked as he spoke up for the first time in the last handful of minutes.

"If I have to, then yes." Xander responded after a few seconds of thought at the newly reinstated Third Hokage. He didn't like the thought of being away from his home and friends (those that he considered to be his family) for possibly many years on end but he didn't like the thought of what could possibly happen to the son of some of the other friends he'd made here even less.

"And your reasons for being against my handling of him?" Danzo asked as he leaned forward, his gaze locking with the younger man that was currently the focus of the entire ruling council. The old scarred shinobi was mildly impressed however when Alexander refused to break his eyes away from the older man's. "With the right hand guiding him this boy could be one of Konoha's greatest defenders, surely you can't deny this?"

"And he still can be… And though while I can't honestly say that I know too much about fuinjutsu as a whole I do know that sealing techniques and magicks that require a willing sacrifice usually require a certain amount of compassion to keep such things from eventually weakening. You and I both know that you want to turn this boy into an almost mindless drone with how you would train him. No mercy, no hesitancy, and certainly compassion. Are you really willing to risk the welfare of this entire village because you only know of one way to do things?" Xander asked with his eyes still locked on Sarutobi's old friend and rival.

When Xander had finished more than a couple of the members of the council were both slightly shocked as well as mildly impressed that someone who was incapable of matching almost all of them in outright power, and was just more than a boy in their eyes had actually verbally ripped into Danzo Shimura of all people! And what he was saying was actually making sense! Demons of any kind were thankfully not all that common in and around the elemental nations but due to this none of them really had any experience with such things as a result. So could they really risk it? Thankfully many of them were starting to think that they shouldn't.

"And if we were to just kill the boy and be done with it?" A genuinely interested Tsume Inuzuka asked as she spoke up for the first time that night. She was only about 5-6 years older than Xander himself and had just recently become the new matriarch of the Inuzuka clan. The two of them had only met a couple of times over the last few months but they had gotten along well enough. Though it was too bad that she was already married, if she wasn't he might of actually tried to ask her out, they had just clicked that well. But oh well, such was life. And while he was a little disappointed at her question Xander figured that she just wanted to cover all his reasons for being against what had been suggested so far.

"That's simple too. To start out with, what do we really know about the seals that the Fourth used? From what everyone who really knows anything is saying they're nothing if not obscure. So what's to say that killing the boy won't just release a now even more pissed Kyuubi back into our mists? Yet again, do you all really want to risk that?" The council had nothing to say to this latest set of explanations either.

So far they had no real forms of retaliation to Alexander's logic. This young man, while interesting and mostly worthy of at least some respect in his own right, had just poked some major holes in all of the possible solutions put forth so far. Such an occurrence was not something that _any_ of the older generation was comfortable with.

"And if we were to put him into an orphanage with all the other children who've lost their parents this night?" Sarutobi asked as he leant forward a bit in anticipation of Xander's latest response.

"Now that, like I said earlier, would be just plain stupid." Xander said bluntly which resulted in more than a couple of small gasps and a few glares at the man's impudence. "Oh, don't give me that crap!" Xander spat back at the room at large. "We all know how the civilian and most likely a large part of the shinobi populations of this village will be like when they find out about what the boy holds in his belly. And don't try to tell me that they won't because we all know that they will. No matter how hard we all try to keep that fact that this little guy is a demon container secret, assuming we do, the people are eventually going to find out." With this Xander started pacing with his hands behind his back before he continued to speak,

"People will almost always instinctively fear what they don't understand, and will eventually come to hate what they fear. They will see this boy as the reason that their beloved Fourth Hokage is gone. Hell, they almost worshiped him as if he were some sort of god! They'll also most likely try to blame the deaths of those that were lost tonight on him!" Xander said firmly with a grimace. He generally tried not to be such a pessimist but given the way things were going it couldn't be helped.

"And remember what I said about compassion? People will ostracize him; they will isolate him, tell their children not to play with him. What kind of impact do you all think that will have on him as he grows? Do you all want to be the ones responsible for doing that to a small impressionable child? He will need to feel a real connection with this place or no matter what he'll never throw his all into defending it. He may even end up hating this village. And trust me; with the kind of power he might one day wield do you really want him to hate this place?" Xander finished as he came to a stop right beside the sleeping babe in question. How he had managed to sleep through all the yelling was anyone's guess.

Everyone present was now looking at the young man before them with rapt attention as what he was saying finished sinking in and for some of them it didn't help that what he was saying happened to make so much sense. The thought of the boy in question, this baby right in front of them, turning on them one day was one that scared many of them down to their bones. But the thought of a _truly_ loyal jinchuriki had the potential of being a massive boon for Konoha as a whole. Even the Elder Council, the most conservative and traditionalist of them all, saw this and the thought gave them pause.

"Bah!" Fugaku Uchiha spat out as he saw that almost the entire village council was at least considering giving the demon vessel over to Alexander's care. The man was called the 'Outcast Uchiha' for a reason, and he was practically a traitor to his own family and they were thinking of just handing over this little demon to him! The head of the Uchiha clan wouldn't stand for it! The boy was too dangerous, they both were! And treating this little monster like a regular child would be an insult to all the brave shinobi that lost their lives not even a handful of hours ago!

"I can't just allow this to happen!" Fugaku said as he stood up so as to gain the rooms attention. "This thing is a monster and Alexander is nowhere near a true shinobi of Konoha, surely you all must see that!" What Fugaku didn't know was that many on the council were looking at him with barely concealed suspicion. They hadn't missed the fact that he and many of the main family had been mysteriously absent during the defense of the village that they all called home. In fact it had only been members of the Uchiha branch family and police force that had been present along side with the rest of Konoha's defenders.

"Sit _down_ Fugaku." Sarutobi intoned firmly. "All of the points that our young friend here have brought up are more than perfectly valid and if you could look past your pride you would be able to see that." The look on the man in questions face was an image that Xander would value for the rest of his days. His ego had just taken a major blow as the Hokage verbally smacked him back down and it showed. He looked like he had just tried to down a gallon of lemon juice. And it got even better when he looked around at his peers and saw that while many were still apprehensive of the points that had been put before them none were offering him any form of real support.

Knowing that he was beaten, at least for now, Fugaku sat back down with as much dignity as he could still muster before sending his best 'death glare' in Xander's direction. But the fact that it made him look very much like a petulant child who wasn't getting his way wasn't helping him any. Xander sure as hell found it amusing though.

Seeing that the latest little drama that night had been swiftly put to rest the Third Hokage then stood up before saying in a loud clear voice so that no one could feign ignorance of what he was about to come out of his mouth,

"So, what do you all think?"

Sure he was the Hokage, and as such he would be well within his rights to completely veto anything that they might come up with and put his own decision in place instead, but wounding all these egos at once would only come back to bite him hard in the end. Goodness knows that this lot liked to feel more important then they actually were after all.

* * *

1 Week Later:

It had been several days since the council had voted towards the fate of Naruto Uzumaki with over seventy percent of said council being in favor of allowing Xander to take custody of the boy, despite the fact that he had only been among them for a short amount of time. The thought of having a truly loyal jinchuriki along with a young man that had shown himself to be more than capable as a shinobi (even though he wasn't actually an official member of Konoha's military forces) despite certain deficiencies was what had swayed many of them in favor of Xander's proposal. That and the thought of the willful neglect that would have happened in almost any other outcome that they could think of possibly coming back to haunt them in the long run scared the crap out of them enough to go along with it all.

As Xander approached the front door of the small house that had been provided for him and Naruto on the outskirts of Konoha he almost couldn't help the reflex of freezing when he saw that his kitchen and dining room lights were on. After a moments thought however he decided to enter as he normally would with a tiny Naruto currently napping away in the baby carrier that was strapped to his chest. Shifting the sack of groceries and other supplies that he was carrying in a way so as to not wake up Naruto, Xander quickly felt around in one of his pants pockets for his keys before finding them and quickly letting himself into his house. Who he saw sitting at his dining room table were two of the three individuals that he had been expecting for the last week. The Elder Council of Konoha had come for a visit, and apparently they had helped themselves to some of the tea that he kept around for when he had company.

Hmm…

"Evening." Xander intoned calmly knowing that, at least for the moment, the two people in front of him didn't want to see him dead and had, he hoped, just come to discuss something. Besides if they wanted him dead he knew that he'd be dead, no matter how fast he was. "I take it this is an 'off the books' type of visit?"

"Indeed it is Alexander." Koharu said just as calmly as their 'host' while trying to pull off the wise old grandmother act. But Xander wasn't falling for it; he knew that despite her age the woman in front of him sipping away at her tea was just as sharp today as she was twenty years ago.

"We wish to discuss any plans you might have in the raising of young Naruto there." Homura said as he pointed a finger at the still snoozing babe that was still strapped to Xander's chest. "You are rather young to be rearing a child after all."

"Yeah, don't I know it..." Xander said as he stepped fully into the room before moving to the kitchen to start putting things away while trying to keep a somewhat sheepish look off of his face. He knew that the two elders currently sitting at his table didn't have anything truly sinister in their hearts (he hoped) and that they genuinely wanted what was best for Konoha, but still, they kinda creeped him out from time to time. "But hey, who else is gonna do this, some well meaning lady off the street? No, that same 'well meaning' lady would sooner drown this poor little guy then actually take proper care of him." Xander finished; his voice now somewhat icy at the thought of people's willful ignorance and stupidity even though he knew he couldn't logically blame them for their point of views. No, he would only be blaming them for their actions should it come to that.

"That's a rather callous view for one as young as you to have Alexander." Koharu said, though thru her tone the younger man could tell that she didn't fully disagree. Alexander Uchiha, the 'outcast' of his family, had already been proven right unfortunately. Not two days after the Kyuubi's attack Xander could already hear the accusing whispers being thrown in Naruto's, and by proxy his, direction. This effect was mitigated however by the fact that Naruto's 'father' was seen as somewhat of a hero after that horrible night. Without him running around like a mad man and risking vaporization to lead the demon fox away who knows just how many more of Konoha's shinobi would've been lost?

"Callous? Well, I suppose it is… Though that doesn't make it any less true and you both know it." Xander said as he finished with the groceries before feeling Naruto starting to stir and knowing by now that he would be hungry (he had started picking up on some of the ways that this particular baby worked after a couple of days) so he started looking for the things he would need to make up a bottle for the little guy. As for changing the kid's diaper… Well, that came after, and not long after at that. And the first time Xander had been shown how to change a diaper? Well, _that_ had been an experience. As it was he was now firmly of the opinion that in the right concentration used diapers could be weaponized.

"Still," Homura said with a piercing gaze as she sought to 'weigh in' the young man and newly minted father standing not four feet from her, "surviving the Hellmouth for so long must have made you hard in more ways than one if you're already saying such things as that."

"You could say that." Was all Xander said as he continued to fix up some of the formula he had gone ahead and stocked up in his kitchen. "Now how's about we get to the meat of this conversation? None of us here have all night after all. And by the by, where's Danzo at? I thought he would have been here with you two." At this the two elderly individuals bristled a bit at his perceived rudeness before relaxing when they realized that, indeed, it was getting late and the pleasantries had gone on long enough.

"Fair enough. And Danzo has always been known to watch from afar when he could. However, I would expect him at one point or another if I were you." Homura said with a wry smirk in his lips. If nothing else this young man certainly had a spine. "Now tell us, do you have at least an outline of what you plan to do with the boy?"

"Aside from a good deal of training and development early on?" Xander asked rhetorically as he waited for the now mixed up bottle of formula to cool. Naruto was up now and even though he was looking at the two new people with almost palpable curiosity Xander new that it wouldn't be too long before he started making a fuss due to the demands of his belly. "Just try to give him as normal a childhood as I can. And considering that his circumstances are anything but normal to begin with and that this is a _ninja_ village… Well, wish me luck."

And despite themselves Homura and Koharu both gave the young man slight looks of sympathy before they continued to ask questions.

* * *

AN: So what did you all think? Please remember that this is a test chapter that I'm still kinda iffy about on certain levels, so if you want me to particularly continue you have to tell me. Now I really do have to get back on top of the latest chapter of 'A Game of Queens and their Wardens'. Seriously though.


End file.
